(Inspired by ‘Cynicism & Devotion’ from Crazy Wisdom - by Chogyam Trungpa.)
It is hard to earnestly pursue a path of truth; to be unflinchingly honest with one’s self and deal with the hard realities that that truth presents.
Along another vertices, we find Spiritual Materialism, a patina that obfuscates our connection with life, doing so by reducing the purity, simplicity and borderless-ness of direct experience, relegating it to a scarce, exclusive reserve designated for the anointed few.
But the choice needn’t be as stark as choosing between dark truth and light “truth-iness.” No.
Having prepared the basic ground by retiring self-deception, we can now become spiritual and engaged. We can foment a (re) birth of the romantic self, and outwardly begin (again) radiating warmth to others.
This is the path of fertile soil, where devotion and faith to others (more so than ourselves) gives rise to a harvest that is luminescent, precious and enriching.
But, more on that sentiment in a bit.
How the Bubble Burst Has Changed Us
Our balloons have popped and we are sullen.
We have endured real confusion and personal struggle. This is not abstract pain either. It is the most direct kind of agony.
I don’t talk to one person who is unaffected; who doesn’t have the silent quid pro quo understanding of tangible loss; of financial freedom pretty seriously detoured.
One foundational example: the certainty of rising markets has been shattered. That alone represents a new road ahead for a lot of people; a road without a clear map, requiring a different vehicle and for many, a travel that begins with an empty gas tank.
Heretofore, we didn’t realize that RISK truly could be a four-letter word, but now we know...what we should have always known.
Cast in that light, The Panic was understandable. That the ground could spontaneously come loose; that once trusted high-flying machines could – and would – simply fall from the sky. Terrifying.
That after having come to expect the perpetuity of boom times, instead we would find ourselves infected, having been given a virus. That truth was beyond jarring.
Whether you are young, in your forties (raises hand), or in your 50s, 60s or older, you should carry in your front pocket forever more a cosmic picture of the still-shaking Earth.
Not as some vestigial organ to hinder future mobility, but rather, as a koan, so that you might better practice discriminating awareness, freed from the shadows.
What damage have we wrought upon ourselves and others?
Picture entire geographic regions falling into a sinkhole, never to come out of that hole again (not the same, at least), as seems inevitable in much of the industrial heartland of America.
Imagine a steady parade of couples nearing retirement whose life savings were wiped out.
Try to walk in the shoes of those that don’t have an obvious path to get back on their feet.
We have to live with that as a people. The sustenance of the American ideal depends upon us at least owning up to this much.
Giving Rise to Devotion and Faith
Skepticism is the pragmatist’s path. Via its abrasive qualities, we have scoured and finessed our sense of “the IT” down to its core essence (i.e., our life’s purpose, what matters, what is froth).
But skepticism is also cynicism’s cousin. At a certain point, understanding ceases to be illuminating. It just darkens the room and becomes heavy.
Embracing the fact that we can’t relate to life without giving more of ourselves, we therefore have a “come to Jesus” moment, where we realize that we have “no choice” but to soften our hearts and to anchor on the goodness, the preciousness of life, the fulcrum of devotion and faith.
Exhibiting a heightened state of hope and expressing warmth to others is not hokey.
If anything, it’s a “survive to thrive” dominion for those who devote themselves to pursuing it.
Put another way, life is a big accident. Fate plays its hand in the most unpredictable of ways, but we are empowered with the knowledge (if we chose to see) that within that domain, our Dharma path is specific and workable.
We have begun to come out the other side (the post-bubble US), and we must now devote ourselves to romancing earnest pursuits, nurturing them and practicing “knowing faith,” a faith that we will realize our aspirational destiny.
Rinse. Wash. Repeat. It is a form of active meditation.
Related Posts:
- Getting Real: On Doomsday, the Demise of So-Called Experts and the New Arbitrage.
- Crazy Wisdom as Rome Burns
- Eating Dog Food: On Safety Nets
- Staring into the Abyss: What Really Matters
- Getting Back Our Sense of National We-Ness: On Heroic Acts, Shape Shifting and Small Business Stimulus.
